Gas-engine



3 sheets-sheet 1. R. F. SMITH. GAS ENGINE.

Patented July 20, 1886.

(No Model.)

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(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheen .2. R. F. SMITH.

GAS ENGINE. No. 345,998. Patented July 20, 1886.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. R. F. SMITH.

i GAS ENGINE.. No. 345 998. Patented July 20, 1886.

WIV-VVIEEEEE- l- ENTER.

l f lI( UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN F. SMITH, OF ATCHlSON, KANSAS.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent NO. 345,998, dated July 20,1886.

Application filed October QT, i885. Serial No. 181,074. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, REUBEN F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Atchison, in the county of Atchison and State ofKansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGas-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention pertains to improvements in gas-engines, having inparticular for its object to produce two explosions, and thus secure twoeffective strokes, at each revolution of the iiy-wheel; and to this endthe invention consists of sundry combinations of parts, substantially ashereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying` drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional and partly sideelevation of iny invention. Figs. 2, 3, and t are detail views thereof,theiirst-named View being taken partly in section and plan,while the twolatter are partly in section and side elevation.

In the embodiment of my invention I employ two power-cylinders, A B,which are suitably mounted and secured upon a frame or support, C, oneat each end of the latter and in alignment with each other. rlhesecylinders are fitted, one with a piston, c., and the other with apiston, b,whose construction is obvious from Fig. l, and which pistonsare pivot-ally connected to the rods d d, respectively, the latter beingsimilarly connected to the wristpin e of the crank, disk, or eccentricD, its said pin or point of application or" its action being eccentrictoits axis. The inner or wristpin end of the pistonrod d is forked, soas to receive the same end ofthe piston-rod d. The eccentric or crank Dis secured upon one end of a shaft, j', suitably journalcd in boxes orbearings j", secured upon the support C, and which shaft carries a1iy-wheel,' g, and a driving-pulley, y, all of any approved form ofconstruction.

E is the barrel or cylinder of the double acting pump, suitably disposedwith relation to the aforesaid parts, and which is supplied with air andgas by a pipe, 71,', (the gas-pipe connection not shown,) and with saidcylinder or barrel at the upper and lower ends by arms h h2, the feedingof which gas and air is controlled by any suitable form of governor. The

arms hh? of the pipe h are provided withv check-valves 7a hi,respectively, one, h3, admitting air and gas into the cylinder or barrelabove the piston (presently described) during its downstroke, and theother, hf, admitting air and gas into the cylinder or barrel below thepiston during its upward stroke.

The cylinder or barrel E is connected at its upper end by a pipe, F,with the cylinder A, said pipe connecting with the latter at its outerclosed end, while the lower end of the said cylinder is connected by apipe, F', with the cylinder B, said 'pipe F also connecting with theouter closed end ol' the cylinder B. The upper and lower ends of thepipes F F are each provided with a cheek-valve, i, those at the upperends ofthe pipes F F opening into the cylinders A B, and those at thelower ends of said pipes opening into the said pipe.

The cylinder or barrel E is ilitted with a piston, j, which is providedwith a rod, j', fitted air-tight in the upper end or head of thecylinder or barrel, and pivoted to a link, jg, in turn pivotallyconnected to the lower side of and about midway an enlargement, G, ofthe lever G, which enlargement is provided with a slot, r, whichreceives and within which works the wrist-pin c of the crank oreccentric D, in order to actuate the pump-piston. The opposite orouterend of the lever or pitman G ispivoted to the support G at 7.1'. Thecxhaust-ports L are on the sides of the powereylinders, and uncovered bytheir pistons at end of power-stroke.

Tithin each of the cylinders A B, near the receiving end-il c., that endat which the air and gas are supplied to said cylinders by the pipes Fliv-is disposed an igniting apparatus, the construction of which is asfollows:

I-I H are two uprights or supports for levers, (presently described,)one, I-I, being let into a socket, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 3, ina block or base, Z, with its greater or upper reduced portion let intoan opening in the bottom of each of the cylinders A B, the lesserportion being extended and forming a iiange around the lower edge of theupper portion, for the reception and passage through it of fastenings orbolts to permit of the bolting or securing of the same to the cylinder.The

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^ other pole of the said machine.

other upright or support, H, is passed through and held in an insulator,m, secured in an aperture of the block Z. One bar or support, H, of onecylinder is connected by a wire, m, to one pole of a dynamo-electricmachine, I, while the bar or support H of the other cylinder, A, isconnected by a wire, mi, to the rlhe upper ends of the supports oruprights H H are provided with arms H2, formed at about right angles totheir lower vertical portions and arranged about parallel to each other,as shown in Figs. 3 and et.

J J are two levers, fulcrumed at about their middles, one upon each ofthe arms H2 of the supports or uprights H H', said levers being curvedat their upper portions outwardly away from each other and weighted attheir extreme upper ends, as at H3, while their lower ends are formedwith lapping projections H", one of which latter abuts against the lowerend ofthe opposite lever to form a contacting surface between saidlevers. To the upright or 'support H are hinged at t" t" two parallelplates, K K, which are so arranged as to extend intcrinediately of thelevers J J at their forward ends, the points of contact between saidlevers 'and plates being insulated b'y means of pieces of porcelain, t2t, or other electrical non-conductor. The outer free ends of theseplates K are relatively divergent to permit of ready access between thesame.

Fixed to the opposite surface or face of each of the pistons a b is abeveled finger or projection, H5, which is arranged in a plane passingbetween said plates lli, to enable, as the finger or projection is movedby the action of the piston between said plates, the separation of theabutting and lapping lower ends, H*, of the weighted levers J, in orderto effect the breaking of the circuit, and thus generate a spark in theexplosion-chambers of the cylinders A B, to ignite the charge, whichwill result in an explosion, one in each cylinder, whereby two effectivestrokes of the pistons a b will be obtained at one complete revolutionof the ily-wheel upon the driving-shaft f.

The operation is as follows: Assuming a charge of air and gas to be infront of the piston 'b of cylinder B under compression and the finger orprojection Hseparating the contacting points HL of the levers J, anexplosion, as above stated, will occur, when thepiston b will begin tomove on its power stroke. At the time of the explosion orignition of theair and gas in front of the piston b of cylinder B the piston a ofcylinder A will be at the eX- treme end of its stroke, allowing theexhaustion of the products of combustion arising from the explosionprevious, which occurred in the latter cylinder, through the port L.During the latter part of this stroke, and while the products ofcombustion are being exhausted, the pump-piston is forcing a charge ofair and gas through the pipeF into the cylinder A. Upon thereturn-stroke of the piston a, closing the exhaust-port L andcompressing the charge in the cylinder A, the pump-piston is deliveringa previously-received charge of air and gas through the pipe E and pastthe valve i', which is to enter the cylinder B the instant the piston buncovers the exhaust-port M. Of course, as soon as the finger Hs of thepiston a or b is withdrawn from between the plates K K the weights H3 atthe upper ends of the levers J will instantly bring or swing the lowercontacting ends, HL, of said levers together, and thus re-establish thecircuit of electricity, which will be broken in the other cylinder inthe manner above described, the circuit thus being alternately brokenand established in the two cylinders. It will be here remarked that thepump-piston j is about one-quarter stroke in advance of thepower-pistons of the cylinders A B-t'. c., the pump-piston coinmences todeliver its charge of air and gas into the pipe F or F about when thepower-stroke of the piston a or b is half completed, thus securingsufficient pressure in the pipes to deliver the charge into the cylinderas soon as the exhaust-port is open or uncovered. rlhe downstroke of thepump-piston j delivers a charge into pipe F for cylinder B, and draws ina charge from above to send to the cylinder A during the upward strokeof the piston j. It will be further seen that the insulated u prights orsupports-H of thc one lever J of each pair of said levers beingconnected by the conductors to thetwo poles of the dynamo-machine, theelectric current ows from the latter along one of the said conductorsand through one of the said insulated bars or supports and through lthetwo levers in one cylinder, the current passing through thecontact-points of said levers. It then passes through the engine to andthrough the levers and their contactpoints and supports in the othercylinder, and to and along the conductor connecting the same with theother pole of the dynamo, thus forming the circuit.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an air and gas engine, the combination of the two cylinders, theirpistons, a doubleacting air and gas pump adapted to alternately chargeeach cylinder, and the igniting apparatus, the same being arranged in anelectric circuit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an air and gas engine, the combination, with the engine-cylinders,the piston-rods, and their pistons, of the air and gas pump connectingby valved pipes with said cylinders, the pump-piston rod, and the linkconnected to said pump-piston rod and to alever or pitman pivoted to afixed point, and having a slot which receives the wrist-pin of thedrivingshaft eccentric or crank, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

3. In an air and gas engine, the combination, with-the engine-cylinderand its piston, of the igniting apparatus comprising the levers havingweighted upper ends and lower contacting IOO IIO

IIS

ends, said piston being adapted to separate said levers at theircontacting points, the saine being arranged in an electric circuit,substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

4. In an air and gas engine, the combination, with the engine-cylinderand its piston carrying aprojection or finger, of theigniting apparatuscarrying the Wei ghted levers having contacting points, and theinsulated lever-support having the hinged parallel plates, the saineheilig arranged in an electric circuit, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

5. In an air and gas engine, the combination, With the engine-cylindersand their pistons having projections or fingers, of the Weighted levershaving lower contacting points and the REUBEN F. SMITH.

X/Titiicsses:

B. F. TALBoT'r, W. XV. A. SMITH.

